Japan’s ruling party wins clear majority in national election

The ruling party in Japan won a clear majority in the country’s national election, according to official results available on Monday morning local time, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK, The Wall Street Journal reported.

NHK reported that at least 257 seats out of the 465 total available in the lower house of Japan’s parliament had been won by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, though several seats had not been called yet, according to official results, the Journal noted. 

It was a notably smaller majority than the one that the ruling party went into this current election with. Prior to the election, the LDP had 276 seats, though it was anticipated that it would be a closer race based on the NHK’s exit polling and polling leading up to Monday. 

At the same time, the ruling party also lost several key district seats. Secretary-general Akira Amari lost his seat in addition to a few former cabinet ministers, the Journal reported.

“We have been accepted by the people,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, who will soon be headed to the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, according to the newspaper.

Kishida claimed during the lead-up to the election that candidates from oppositional parties were being backed by the country’s Communist Party and made a push for the LDP, saying that the the ruling party had been able to successfully handle the COVID-19 despite rising surges seen in Tokyo and elsewhere during the Olympics.

The election results come after an unsuccessful one-year stint by former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga succeeded Abe after health issues led Abe to resign from his role, the Journal reported.

During Abe’s time as prime minister between 2012 to 2020, Japan’s international profile was raised, the country helped secure the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and Japan started to build toward a closer relationship with the U.S.